EXPERIENTIAL EVENTS EXPOSE: THE IMPORTANCE OF BRAND MARKETING

“To create a closer bond between the consumer and the brand by immersing them in a fun and memorable experience”

Over the past 5 or 6 years we’ve seen rapid growth in the number of companies using experiential events to connect consumers with their brand; this type of marketing has gone from being seen as a tactic, to being considered the heart of a company’s communication platform.

We’re sick of being bombarded by traditional advertising and options like TV on demand and email spam filters have provided a way for this to be tuned out, so 2014 saw experiential events skyrocket as businesses released they needed to be talking with, rather than at their consumers.

As an event planner this is an extremely exciting shift! These events are very different to most, if not all, other forms of marketing. They have a longer life line beginning from the moment you hear about an event, developing through anticipation and talking about the event, experiencing the event and then reflecting on it. And with social media becoming a daily part of consumers’ lives these can now be spread and shared more widely.

We’re continuing to see a rise in collaboration between PR and events companies who are creating powerful and unforgettable ways to raise brand awareness. With so many examples out there, we wanted to share with you some of our favourite experiential moves from the past few years. And remember with this type of marketing, it’s all about quality over quantity.

IKEA Big Sleepover

The inspiration for this event was a Facebook group called ‘I wanna have a sleepover in IKEA’, which has almost 100,000 fans. So IKEA seized the opportunity to engage with their fans, not to mention giving consumers the chance to try out their products, by inviting 100 of these fans to spend one night in IKEA. Dress code: strictly pajamas!

20th Century Fox: “The Simpson’s Kwik-E-Mart”

20th Century Fox hyped the release of “The Simpsons Movie” by bringing Kwik-E-Mart convenience stores to the real world. The studio partnered with 7-Eleven to transform a dozen stores into their “Simpsons” counterpart.

Lurpak #FoodAdventures

Last year three celebrity food ambassadors aimed to inspire visitors to start their food adventure. They took over Britain’s busiest train station, Waterloo to share tips and techniques using Lurpak’s Cook’s Range.

Blinkbox, Game of Thrones Launch

To promote the launch of Game of Thrones season 3 Blinkbox placed a giant dragon skull, the size of a London Bus, on a Dorset Beach.

We hope we got your creative juices flowing with these fab examples of experiential events. And if you need a helping hand, here at Freshly Squeezed we’re bursting with creative ideas so get in touch for a free consultation!